Happy New Year!!

Sunset 12/27/2020 final night in Pelican Bay

We have been docked in Fort Myers Yacht Basin since Monday 12/28/2020 and in true marina life fashion, my time management skills slid sideways!  So back to the high points:

Headed to Ft. Myers! A little windy on 12/28/2020

12/28/2020

After 6 days at anchor and 4 consecutive days weathered on the boat we pulled anchor at 7:56am and departed Pelican Bay at Cayo Costa State Park.  It felt great to be moving again and we were really excited to get on solid ground for a little while!

As we neared closer to our destination we detoured to Fort Myers Beach and dropped off the props for repair and tuning.  Easy in & out, they will call when the job is done. YAY!!

So by 2:37pm we were safely tied to the dock at Fort Myers Yacht Basin.  AND greeted by Scott & Karen formerly of Last Call and currently cruising on DunRunnin!!  So fabulous to see familiar faces and spend a little time with Loop #1 family!!  Always a good time with great folks!  And surprise…dinner onboard their boat!!  They have the gift of hospitality and we’re tickled to be part of their “isolation circle”!!

Full Moon Rising over Ft Myers 12/29/2020

12/29/2020

I know it’s a surprise to think what I did on Tuesday…laundry!! And lots of it! And it was so much fun…I saw other Loop #1 loopers – and Tango Papa has changed boats too!  But they’re still the same great folks!  Then I walked past another familiar boat – Magic!!  Loop #1 family has migrated to Fort Myers!!  Everyone maintains their distance – we miss our hugs – but the conversation picks up right where it left off!  So good to see other faces!!!

Fast forward to the afternoon…Ben & Chantale from At Ease reached out from another marina!!  Yes, a little time with Loop #2 family…yippee!!  We spent the afternoon/evening walking the downtown streets of Ft. Myers.  The crowds were minimal – all outdoor seating available – and in true looper fashion…we picked up right where we left off!!!  I’ve missed them too…fun people who like to laugh!!

 

So happy for a long walk!

12/30/2020

A fun day on land, hair appt (long overdue), boat chores, walk to Publix; the typical glamorous life of a boater.  Crowds seem to be increasing for the holiday weekend so we will stay in the marina & take our walks earlier in the day.  That’s ok…did I mention it’s breezy, sunny and highs in the upper 70’s to mid 80’s??  So I have ZERO to complain about…

It's still Christmas in Ft. Myers

Final Sunrise of 2020 as seen from the aft deck on The Lower Place

12/31/2020

New Year’s Eve and the welcome mat was rolled out in Ft. Myers!!  I walked downtown early (8:00am) and the vehicle traffic was already heavy.  When I decided to turn around and find the Farmer Market (a far different route) the foot traffic was really picking up. But I found the Farmer’s Market and Karen (DunRunnin) joined me for some outdoor shopping.  It was small but we found everything we were looking for – and a few things we didn’t know we “needed”!!  So our big New Year's Eve celebration will consist of staying in the marina but sharing dinner with Scott & Karen then playing domino’s or cards until it gets dark.  Ha HA!!  We will leave 2020 in hindsight (pun intended) and greet 2021 at a respectable hour after sunrise!!

If nothing else has been learned this year, I think we can all agree that kindness is key, patience pays off and love always wins.  Let’s take our 2020 lessons, learn from them and resolve to make 2021 better-to best of our own individual abilities.  And don’t forget to pull out that new calendar you got for Christmas!!  Paper calendars are still available…and I use one!!

Stay Healthy and God Bless

Crazy picture of the day:

It's a thing!!